The first expansion outside the Escondido location of the Stone Brewing Co. empire, the Stone Company Store South Park, is turning 1 this Friday, June 15th. According to Stone Media Lynchpin (actual title) Randy Clemens, “To celebrate, they’re putting some killer beers on tap, and sending some goodies out to surrounding bars, restaurants, and bottle shops on Friday, June 15th!”
Goodies indeed, as Mazarra Trattora (my favorite bottle shop in South Park) is going to have the venerable Cherry Chocolate Stout in bottles this Friday. Check out the poster to the right for the breakdown of the beer distribution for tomorrow – essentially they’re dropping great beer on all of their restaurant, bar, and bottleshop accounts in the area. At 6PM, Greg Koch (and his epic beard) will be at the Store to tap a “surprise” keg.
While always in the shadow of its trendier, cooler brother North Park, South Park is one of the finest neighborhoods in town. It’s coming alive this weekend with Stone’s celebration on Friday and the Old House Fair on Saturday.
For this South Park-based writer, it’s been very interesting to watch Stone’s first expansion into my community. With two more bottleshop/tasting room stores in the works in Oceanside and Pasadena materializing rapidly that will be powered by the very impressive Stone Distribution – it’s safe to say the South Park store was the test model. With European colonization plans in a holding pattern until further notice, Stone seems perfectly content expanding on their home turf: Southern California.